AmaSirayeli ayakhalaza
1Ke kaloku ibandla liphela lamaSirayeli latsho ngesimbonono lakhala bonke obo busuku. 2Ewe, uSirayeli wakhalaza kuMosis noAron, esithi: “Akwaba sasifele eJiputa, okanye sifele kule ntlango. 3Ngani ukuba *uNdikhoyo asise kwilizwe elinjalo? Kuba kucacile ukuba siya kufel' emfazweni, baze abafazi nabantwana bethu babe ngamaxhoba. Anitsho nina ukuba kubhetele sibuyele kwaseJiputa?” 4Baza ke bacebisana bathi: “Masizikhethele inkokheli yokusibuyisela eJiputa.”
5Kwesi sithuba ke uMosis noAron bathi guqaqa apho phambi kwebandla lakwaSirayeli liphela. 6Ke yena uYoshuwa unyana kaNune, noKalebhi unyana kaJefune, abanye bezaa ntlola, basuka baziqwenga iimpahla zabo ngenxa yokukhathazeka, 7baza babhekisa kumaSirayeli, bathi: “Hayi bo! Elaa lizwe sivela kulijonga lelihle kunene. 8Ukuba uNdikhoyo uyakholwa sithi, uza kusisa kulo, alinikezele kuthi, yeka ke kambe indyebo yalo – liyintombazana! 9Nto nje nina musani ukumvukela uNdikhoyo, ningabaxhaleli nabemi belo lizwe, kuba siya kuboyisa lula. UNdikhoyo ungakuthi, ibe ke bona bakukutya kwethu, kuba *izithixo zabo azinakubanceda. Hayi bo, sanukuba nadyudyu ngenxa yabo!”
10Ke kaloku amaSirayeli ephela athi selezimisele ukubaxuluba ngamatye, suka abona ngobukhazi-khazi bokukhazimla kukaNdikhoyo bukhakhaba phezu kwesibingelelo.
UMosis uyatarhuzisa ngenxa yamaSirayeli
11*UNdikhoyo ke wadanduluka wathi: “Koda kube nini aba bantu bendidela? Koda kube nini bengandithembi, nangona sendenze imimangaliso engaka nje phakathi kwabo? 12Yini le! Ndiza kubathumela ngobhubhani ndibatshabalalise. Kambe ke wena, nenzala yakho, ndiza kukwenza isizwe esikhulu nesinobungangamsha kunabo.”
13Ke yena uMosis waphendula wathi kuNdikhoyo: “Awu, Mhlekazi, koba yini amaJiputa akuyiva loo nto? Kaloku nguwe owakhupha aba bantu phakathi kwawo ngamandla akho. 14Abemi beli lizwe sebezivile iindaba zokuba wena Ndikhoyo uhamba nawo amaSirayeli, abantu bakho, yaye ubonwa ngamehlo; futhi nelifu lakho lisoloko lijinga phezu kwawo. Bevile nokuba wena emini uwakhokela ngomqulu welifu, uze uwakhokele ngomlilo odangazelayo ebusuku. 15Ngoko ke ukuba uyawatshabalalisa, ezi zizwe zivileyo ngodumo lwakho ziya kuthi 16aba bantu bakho ubatshabalalisele kule ntlango kuba woyisiwe kukubasa kwelo lizwe wawubathembise ngalo ngesifungo. 17Ndiyakubongoza ke ngoko, Mhlekazi, ukuba ukhe uphuhlise amandla akho ngokwelizwi lakho elithi: 18‘Mna Ndikhoyo andicaphuki msinya, koko ndiyimvuze-mvuze ngothando; futhi ndiyabaxolela abonayo nabakreqi. Kambe ke andibuyi ngamva ekubohlwayeni abanetyala. Ngenxa yesono sabazali abantwana ndibohlwaya ndide ndiye kuqhina kwesesithathu nakwesesine isizukulwana.’ 19Ngoko ke, camagu, lala ngenxeba, Mhlekazi! Khawenze ngokwezibele zothando lwakho olungaphele ndawo, ubuxolele ubugwenxa baba bantu. Njengoko wasoloko umana ubaxolela oko semkayo eJiputa, nakalokunje, Mhlekazi, makube chosi, kube hele!”
20UNdikhoyo waphendula wathi: “Hayi ke, ndiyabaxolela ngokwesicelo sakho. 21Kodwa ke ngenene ndiyafunga, ndikho nje, obam ubungangamsha buzalise ihlabathi jikelele. 22Ngoko ke akukho nanye indoda kwaba bantu eya kufika kwelo lizwe. Kaloku babubonile ubukhazikhazi obuntama ukuba ndikho, ndawonye nemiqondiso endayenza eJiputa nakule ntlango; kodwa nakuba kunjalo bayaphindelela ukundivavanya, besala ukundithobela. 23Soze athi cakatha kwelo lizwe ndathembisa ngalo ooyise ngesifungo. Soze bangene kulo bonke abandidelayo.
24“Kambe sona isicaka sam uKalebhi akafani nabo. Yena waba soloko endithobela, ngoko ke yena ndiya kumngenisa kwelo lizwe walibonayo, yena nesizukulwana sakhe. 25Njengoko loo mhlaba untili zawo zimiwe ngama-Amaleki namaKanana ngoku, jikani ngomso, nihambe niye entlango ngecala loLwandle oluBomvu.”
Isohlwayo ngenxa yokukrokra
26*UNdikhoyo wabhekisa kuMosis noAron, wathi: 27“Kanti koda kube nini ezi zikhohlakali zabantu zindikrokrela? Hayi, ndanele zizikrokro zabo! 28Ngoko ke baxeleleni ukuba ndithi: ‘Ngenene, ndingophilayo nje, ndiyafunga, ndiza kunenzela kanye le nto niyithethileyo. Nditsho mna Ndikhoyo. 29Niza kufa, zaye ke izidumbu zenu ziya kuqungquluza kule ntlango. Kaloku niyandikhalazela, ngoko ke bonke ababudala bungaphezu kwamashumi amabini soze bangene kwelo lizwe. 30Ndathembisa ukuba elo lizwe loba lelenu, kodwa akukho namnye kuni uya kulifumana, ngaphandle kukaKalebhi noYoshuwa. 31Abo bantwana benu nina nithe boba ngamaxhoba mna ndiza kubangenisa kwelo lizwe nilibukulayo nina, lize limiwe ngabo. 32Okokwenu ke nina niza kufela apha kule ntlango. 33Koda kufe nowokugqibela kuni, abantwana benu bezizibhadu-bhadu amashumi amane eminyaka apha kule ntlango ngenxa yokungandithobeli kwenu. 34Ewe, yoba yiminyaka emashumi mane nisitya iziqhamo zokukreqa kwenu; unyaka ngamnye umele usuku ngalunye kwezo zathathwa ziintlola kwelo lizwe. Niza kuthi shuu ngenxa yezono zenu, nibuve ubunzima bokuchaswa ndim! 35Ngenene mna Ndikhoyo ndiyafunga, ndiza kuyenza le nto kuni, zikhohlakalindini zabantu ezidibene ngam. Nonke, ngabanye ngabanye, niza kufela apha kule ntlango.’ ”
36-37Ezaa ntlola zazithunywe nguMosis kwelaa lizwe zabuya nengxelo engatshongo khona ngalo, yawatsho amaSirayeli amkhalazela uNdikhoyo. Ngoko ke uNdikhoyo wawabetha ngobhubhani afa. 38Kwelo shumi linambini leentlola kwasinda uYoshuwa noKalebhi kuphela.
Ilinge lokuhlasela iKanana
39AmaSirayeli enza isijwili esilusizi uMosis akuwaxelela into ethethwa *nguNdikhoyo. 40Ke kaloku avuka ekuseni ngomhla olandelayo, aphuma esiya kweleentaba. Ayevuma esithi: “Ngenene sonile; kodwa ke ngoku sikulungele ukuya kulaa ndawo ebethe masiye kuyo uNdikhoyo.”
41Kambe ke uMosis wawanqanda esithi: “Kutheni nitsiba umyalelo kaNdikhoyo nje? 42Aniyi kuba nampumelelo. Musan' ukuya, kuba uNdikhoyo akakho ngakuni; ngoko ke niya koyiswa ziintshaba. 43Niya kuqubisana nama-Amaleki namaKanana. Nofela apho edabini, kuba engekho ngakuni uNdikhoyo, ngenxa yokuba nina nikreqile ekumlandeleni.”
44Kodwa ke anyanzelisa aya kuloo mmandla weentaba, nangona ityesi yomnqophiso ngokunjalo noMosis wayesele ngemva. 45Wona ke ama-Amaleki namaKanana, abemi baloo mmandla, bawahlasela bawoyisa amaSirayeli, baza bawaswantsulisa aya kutsho eHoma.
